Broken Prince (The Broken Ones) (7 page)

Prince ate all the food she'd brought him and she
smiled a little as she collected his plate. "Good boy."

He frowned up at her, making her laugh. That was the
Prince she knew.

The Prince she loved.

She turned away quickly, her smile vanishing. Finally
admitting the truth to herself meant nothing. It certainly didn't do her any
good. She loved him, but he didn't love her. Yes, he protected her, cared for
her, but only because he thought her a child. He was a prince and an Elf. She
had to remember those things. It might help in the end, when she got him home
and finally had to leave him.

She looked down at the pile of dishes she'd collected
and started cleaning them quickly, pushing her frustration into her work.
Idiot, idiot, idiot. She wished she could change the way she felt. She wished she
could love someone else. Or no one at all.

It would be so much easier if she didn't care.

She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep
breath. Thinking wasn't helping. Thinking made it worse. Whatever would happen,
would happen. She couldn't change anything.

Chapter 6:

Family First

The next day they made slow but steady progress again.
Though they no longer saw soldiers in the fields, they decided not to continue
their travels along the road. Though riding the forest border had its dangers,
it also provided food and wood for fires. As long as they were careful, they
could forage the fields as well. Their decision pleased Garen immensely and she
felt horrible she'd never considered he wouldn’t want to travel in the human
lands when she’d asked him to join them.

Her temper remained short. She'd tried walking, and
had been able to for a time until her ankle began hurting again. Frustration
overwhelmed her so much she wanted to hit something. It did not help the days
had seemed to drag by so slowly. Nothing of interest happened. They rode. They
rested. No one talked very much. There wasn't really a lot to be said. Perhaps
her bad mood had started infecting the others, or perhaps they were simply
staying out of her way.

They found another of the many small streams which ran
from the mountains down to the sea and started setting up camp early. Kei and
Garen both brought back a number of small birds and game.

Bo started getting a fire going while Kei went off to
clean their dinner. She collected firewood, thinking it sad they were all
rather excited over the large meal they would be getting. Once she had never
been hungry. That had been over a year ago though, before their city fell. It
had also been the last time she'd slept in a real bed, not a pile of blankets
like they’d used in the room they rented. The last time for so many simple
things.

She glanced over at Prince. He never complained, which
surprised her. He'd snap at her about her manners or speech, but not whine over
being dirty or hungry.

Leaning against a tree, he had his eyes closed now,
resting. Black hair spilled around his beautiful face, making it appear paler
than it actually was, highlighting the dark circles under his eyes. Sadly, he'd
looked worse. She tried to picture him when she'd first met him, but that really
didn't help. He'd been under an Elven glamor at the time. Though even with it
he hadn't looked well. He'd been dying even then.

Even sick, he still took her breath away.
Stupid
.
She turned and picked up another fallen branch. She had to stop this. She was
only making it harder on herself, and making everyone else miserable, too.

Walking over to the fire she dropped her pile of wood
and went back amongst the trees to search for more. She didn't go far, she'd
learned her lesson the hard way last fall when she'd gotten lost and attacked
by slavers. The sun remained high enough in the sky to light the woods enough
for her to see well. The area of woods they had entered did not have a lot of
underbrush, for which she felt thankful. Brush only slowed them down. Had they
needed to hide, it would have been good, but speed had become their aim now.

She did not hear Garen move behind her, his large paws
somehow silent on the forest floor. She did hear his sudden growl just before
he bounded past her. Staring at him in shock, she froze as he stopped directly
in front of her, hackles raised, ears flattened back against his head. He
snarled, his lips pulled back from his huge teeth.

"What is it, Garen?" She stepped up beside
him, resting a hand on his back.

Run!

She looked down at him. His voice in her mind had
quivered with fear, as if he'd struggled just to get that one word out. Yet he
didn't look afraid, he looked ready to take on an army.

"I see you have made a new friend," Damon
said, walking into her view.

She pursed her lips and glared at him as she stepped
forward, putting herself between him and Garen.

The Dragos was dangerous. He also had no qualms about
hurting her friends. The last time he'd come Kei had attacked him, so had
Prince. Neither had hurt him, he was simply too powerful.

She glanced back at Garen,
Do not attack him. It
won't do any good.

He growled in response, but his head lowered slightly,
which she took to mean he'd actually listen to her. Hopefully the others didn't
know Damon had come. If she could keep them out of it, she would. They tended
to try to protect her too much. She didn't want them hurt at her expense again.

"Hello, Damon," she said, struggling to make
the words come out calmly.

A smile spread across his handsome face as he stopped
a few steps in front of her. "Arowyn. It's been a while."

"Not long enough." She forced a smile,
trying to make light of her words. She had to be careful. He could get angry so
quickly.

He chuckled. "Now, now. Last time I believe I was
quite helpful to you."

Yes, he'd come back, and answered some of their
questions, mostly concerning Prince, who had left them. But Prince had only
left because Damon had torn his glamor away and shown them all he was an Elf. This
was of course after Damon had ripped through her mind, destroying all of her
inner defenses, nearly destroying her.

She didn't like him. Of course, she didn't understand
him either. Though he mostly looked human, he wasn't, his true form being a monstrous
dragon.

He cocked his head to the side, his strange iridescent
eyes with their vertical slits seeming to swirl. "I take it you didn't
miss me?"

"We've been busy," she said quickly. "Trying
to get Prince home." She bit her tongue. She shouldn't have mentioned the
others.

However Damon merely nodded. Perhaps he actually
remembered. He stared at her intently. "You seem stronger."

She tensed, waiting for him to invade her mind,
waiting for the pain of it. It didn't come, not yet, however she didn't know
what to say.

His gazed went past her, back to Garen. "You have
them all now. Perhaps that is why."

She had no idea what he was talking about. Not really.
She guessed he referred to her friends being from all of the races, human, Elf,
Were, Fey. However she didn't know how that could be important. She hoped there
hadn't been something about them in the stupid prophecies he liked to prattle
on about all the time. She doubted she'd be so lucky.

"You're very quiet this time," he said,
breaking her thoughts.

"I don't really have a lot to say."

"You just never know what I want you to tell me."

She clenched her fists, trying to stay calm, trying
not to say something sarcastic or stupid which would cause problems. "You
should ask then, if you have a question."

He smiled. It was a little smile, he was not amused. "That
takes too much time, you don't say everything. I like to see for myself."

"Stay out of my mind," she said sharply. The
edges of panic crept over her. She knew what was coming, knew she couldn't stop
it. No one could. She wanted to run, but knew he'd catch her. He'd probably
love that, some extra excitement. She shifted slightly from one foot to the
other, waiting.

"You…" he paused and looked over one
shoulder then the other.

She looked as well, confused, until she saw all the
others come forward out of the trees, even Prince. They had circled him.
Idiots. She ground her teeth, furious they had come.

She carefully focused a thought at Garen.
Did you
call them?

Yes. I felt him to be a threat. Was I wrong?

She tried to stay calm and to not yell at Garen. He
didn't know. She'd never gotten around to telling him about Damon, about what
the Dragos had done to them.
No. It's fine. Just be careful. He's very
dangerous. Try to keep your thoughts well-guarded.

Damon looked back at her, apparently heedless of her
conversation, and chuckled. "You've all been spending too much time with
the wolves. You're starting to act like them."

She stared at him and then she understood. He didn't
know. He didn't know they had worked Were magic and become a pack.

She wanted to keep it that way. She smiled a little. "They
have some good ideas."

"So they do," he answered. He turned to
regard Prince. "You are holding up well. Under the circumstances."

Prince gave him a faint nod, somehow managing to stand
tall and straight and not look like he would collapse at any moment. Maybe the Were
magic had done more for him than she'd thought.

Damon cocked his head to the side, pursing his lips
for a moment in thought. "Do you honestly think you will make it?"

A small smile crossed Prince's lips and he looked over
at her. "Aro seems quite determined I will."

Damon turned his attention back to her, which she
didn't really appreciate. At the same time, relief flooded through her that he
had turned away from Prince. The Elf was in no condition to deal with any sort
of fighting right now. "And so I imagine you will. She is a remarkably
strong girl…for a human." He smiled that little smile she hated so much,
like he knew things she didn't. It was a cruel, patronizing smile. It fit him
perfectly.

She wanted to ask him what he wanted, but was afraid
speaking would cause something horrible to happen. Keeping her mouth shut seemed
to be a much better idea.

Damon frowned and then pointed a finger at her. "One
of you is missing."

She closed her eyes for a moment, sucking in a deep
breath. Of course he'd notice. "Cain."

"Where is he?"

"He died."

"How?"

She swallowed roughly. "Arrow. Through the chest."

"Ah. How ironic."

She flinched.

Damon continued to regard her thoughtfully and then
gave a little shrug. Like Cain's death meant nothing. That he'd meant nothing.

She wanted to kill him.

Instead she clenched her jaw and forced herself to
stay still, to stay calm. Somehow she managed. Maybe she was getting stronger,
growing up.

Damon took another step closer and smiled again. "I
have discovered more about you. Would you like to hear it?"

"No," she said promptly.

"But it is quite interesting. It mentions in
fact, all of you." He paused and then smiled again. "Well, perhaps
not. Things do change of course and any one of you could be replaced. Prophecy
is always so vague. Still, it is most interesting you have filled the
requirements already. It's almost a shame really."

She was having trouble following what he was saying. "What?"

He grinned and shrugged. "You are too young yet.
You will not be Queen for some time."

Before she could stop herself she rolled her eyes and
sighed.

"You don't believe me?"

"Does it matter?" She tried to cover her reactions.
Why couldn’t she act more responsible? This wasn’t a game. She knew it, knew it
so very well. Yet she couldn’t seem to stay out of trouble. So far, she'd
thought she'd done very well, but she had to be better. Lives depended on her.

Damon apparently found her amusing. He laughed and
shook his head. "Not at all, of course. Do you really not want to know?"

"No," she said firmly. "I don't."

"Not anything?"

She shook her head.

"Not even where you will rule? How it will
happen? Who will rule by your side?"

"Most definitely not."

He seemed disappointed. "Perhaps I should tell
you anyway."

"Maybe that will change things." She smiled
sweetly.

He snorted, his mouth twisting in an ironic half
smile. "Possibly."

"Is that what you intend?" She had wondered
if he was trying to help, or to hinder, the prophecy he so liked to talk about.
Honestly she had no idea. Of course she only knew the one line he'd told her
about herself, and the one about Kei. Perhaps the prophecy said she would kill
him. She almost liked that thought.

He smiled again, which was no answer at all. Not with
him. She glanced quickly at the others. Everyone had been so still, so quiet.
It surprised her, but she certainly wasn't going to complain. So far they had
avoided fighting, and having Damon in anyone’s mind.

Damon continued to regard her silently, as if waiting
for her to speak.

She didn't want to. Her mouth tended to get her into
trouble with him. Counting her heartbeats she waited, staring at him, watching
his strange eyes swirl.

He smiled again suddenly, and took a step forward. She
tensed. He had moved close enough now, he could touch her. In the past he had
always done so just before he invaded her mind.

Damon lifted a hand, but didn't touch her. He looked
down, behind her.

Garen whimpered.

Turning quickly she saw her friend had lowered
himself, his back arched, tail tucked between his legs and his ears flat
against his head.

Even as a wolf she could see how frightened he was.
Whirling around, she stepped forward and smacked Damon’s outstretched hand
away. "Stop it!"